Graft rejection can be prevented by using certain drugs such as Azathioprin, cyclophosphamide, methotexate cyclosporine, FK 506, Rampomycin etc. and slowly developing tolerance to the graft tissue.
Since immune system is not specific for any particular region of the body, immunosuppressive drugs used to save the graft, suppress the whole immune system and the recipient becomes vulnerable to various other infections.
In addition to immune suppression majority of immunosuppressive drugs are aimed to block proliferation of activated lymphocytes.
As the drugs block proliferation, they block proliferation of certain normal cells such as RBC, epithelial cells of the gut etc. also, leading to serious and life threatening complications.
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A nonspecific immune suppression is also carried by X-irradiation and by using corticosteroids and cytotoxic drugs.
X-irradiation is highly toxic to actively replicating cells. Like immune suppressive drugs it also blocks cell division. Corticosteroids are anti inflammatory in function.
The other treatments include use of anti lymphocyte serum to block activation of T cells alone. Even though this is some what better than the former treatments, chance of development of viral infections is there in the absence of T cells.